My experience applying Zen Buddhism to labor and breastfeeding
When I went into labor with my son at 1:30 on Monday afternoon, I never imagined that he wouldn’t arrive into the world until 12:40 on Wednesday afternoon. Somehow, I survived forty seven hours of labor and lived to tell the tale. Surprisingly, I was even joyful and mentioning things I’d like to do differently “next time” as soon as we were recovering. Other than the epidural, my secret to managing a nearly two full days of labor is Buddhism.
Making lunch fun with dinosaur quesadillas and bento plates
Want to shake mealtimes up a bit? Cook up your own version of Jen’s self-titled “bento on a plate” — cookie cutter sets and creativity go a long way to calming a picky eater.
Four ways to reconnect with pets after you have kids
Sarah was the reason I came home and slept in my own bed in high school. In college, she kept me feeling safe and comforted in my string of lonely student rentals. She greeted my husband at the door on our first date, and she met us at the door when we brought home each of our kids. But that was where the old times ended; the truth is, several years into motherhood, I felt like my relationship with Sarah was altered beyond repair.
Passing for straight: parenting with a man as a queer woman
I hear some of you wondering “Then why bother telling him? If you’re monogamous with a man, aren’t you basically straight anyway? What does it matter what other people think?” All I can tell you is, it does matter. We are talking about no less than who I am, at my very foundation.
Parenting a teen in the shadow of Facebook
Kids that are in high school and college right now are the guinea pigs for coming of age in the social networks. They are learning the hard way what should and should NOT be posted to their Tumblr, Facebook or Twitter accounts.
How do you talk to your kids about Jesus when you’re an atheist?
One day, my five-year-old asked me if I knew Jesus made the world. So, I told her what we know: that once the earth was here, things started to happen little by little, until one little creature had become a million little creatures, all changing and growing.
I talked about sex with my kids… and possibly scarred them for life
I always thought I’d rock having THE talk with my kids, but I think I might not have. Using the appropriate words was a cinch, but getting down to the mechanics of IT was a challenge.
I had a miscarriage, and I’m surprisingly ok
When I did a search about not being depressed after a miscarriage, I shouldn’t have been surprised that I didn’t find much. No one wants to be judged for not feeling the way she’s “supposed” to feel. But you know what? I really am feeling just fine.